Yankees in April

Curtis Granderson and the Yankees started the season off with a bang. Granderson belted the go-ahead solo home run for the Yankees in the seventh inning as they beat the Tigers 6-3 on Opening Day.

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Derek Jeter congratulates Mark Teixeira after the first baseman hit a three-run homer against the Tigers. in a 10-6 victory.

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The Yankees turned to Phil Hughes for the third game of the season, but the young righty struggled with his location and velocity in a 10-7 loss to the Tigers.

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Alex Rodriguez built upon a strong spring training with a home run in the Yankees’ 4-3 win over the Twins.

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After missing out on Cliff Lee, the Yankees turned to Rafael Soriano to bolster their pitching staff this offseason. Soriano pitched well at first but his command was off as the Yankees blew a four-run lead and lost to the Twins 5-4 in 10 innings.

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Russell Martin misses a tag on Dustin Pedroia as the Yankees traveled to Fenway and gave the Red Sox their first win of the season.

Ivan Nova looks down in disgust after failing to get the job done against the reigning American League Champion Rangers. The Yankees dropped the first game in the series, 5-3.

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Freddy Garcia didn’t let the dreary conditions at Yankee Stadium put a damper on his first start in pinstripes. Garcia threw six innings of two-hit ball to lead the Yankees to a 5-2 win.

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Filling in for a banged-up Alex Rodriguez, Eric Chavez drove in the winning run in the eighth inning of the series finale against the Rangers. The Yankees wrapped up the three-game set with a 6-5 win.

Neil Miller

Edwin Encarnacion scores the game-winning run as Mariano Rivera blew his first save of the season as the Yankees lost to the Blue Jays 6-5 in 10 innings.

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Bartolo Colon, who seems to have regained his Cy Young form, is congratulated by teammates as he exits the game in the seventh inning. Colon struck out seven batters in 6 2/3 innings pitched and picked up his first win of the season.

AP

Alex Rodriguez moved into second place on the All-Time grand slams list with the 22nd of his career in a 15-3 thrashing of the Baltimore Orioles. Rodriguez only trails Yankees legend Lou Gehrig on the list.

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As his quest for 3,000 hits continues, Derek Jeter went 4-for-6 and helped lead the Yankees to a 6-3 win over the Orioles.

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A frustrated Alex Rodriguez reacts after an at-bat during the Yankees’ 2-0 loss to the White Sox. The Yankees’ bats were silenced all night as they were almost no-hit by White Sox pitcher Phil Humber.

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Yankees set-up man Rafael Soriano has struggled in the early portions of the season, including blowing a one-run lead in the eighth inning of the team’s 3-2 loss to the White Sox.

Neil Miller

Bartolo Colon is all smiles as the former Cy Young award-winner has pitched brilliantly for the Yankees. Colon picked up his second win of the season in the Yankees’ 3-1 win against the White Sox.

AP

Yankees outfielders Brett Gardner, Nick Swisher and Andruw Jones celebrate as the Yankees bats awakened in a 12-3 thrashing, salvaging a series split with the White Sox.

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Robinson Cano, arguably the Yankees’ MVP for the first month of the season, clubbed two home runs in the Yankees’ 5-3 loss to the Blue Jays.

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A.J. Burnett did not turn out his best effort, but pitched well enough for the Yankees to pick up a 5-4 win over the Blue Jays. The Yankees finished April 15-9 and on top of the AL East.